


Burning Bright

by TowardTheStars



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Death Note Inspiration, Drama, M/M, Romance, Shinigami
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23249104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TowardTheStars/pseuds/TowardTheStars
Summary: An unassuming meeting with one of Moriarty's clients throws Sebastian Moran into a supernatural war between so-called gods of death and the forces determined to stop the apocalypse.And all he knows is that he needs to protect a little girl who supposedly holds the keys to the universe and try not to die in the process.
Relationships: Sebastian Moran/Jim Moriarty





	Burning Bright

Sebastian Moran pulled out a cigarette, thumbed the lighter, lit it, brought it to his mouth and sucked in the bitter smoke. He blew a cloud out into the rain, and lightning cracked across the sky.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered, reaching out from underneath the overhang to feel the pelting drops. The water chilled his skin, and he scowled as thunder boomed around him.

The sound of thunder was replaced with the ringing of his cellphone, and he pulled it out of his pocket to answer.

“Not getting too wet, are you darling?” Jim Moriarty asked, his voice dim and distracted. Sebastian imagined him sprawled across the couch, folders spread around him, and most importantly, warm and dry.

“He’s a fucking no-show,” Sebastian growled, peering out into the haze of rain.

“Give him time,” Jim said, his voice more nonchalant than Sebastian would have expected. Jim was obsessive with timing and despised tardiness, especially from clients.

“Fine. But I’m fucking freezing.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, pet. I’ll warm you up when you get home,” Jim replied, a hint of a smile in his voice. Sebastian grinned, taking another drag.

“Will you now?” he asked, lowering his voice. Before Jim could respond, he caught sight of movement in the rain. A person – stance and gait makes it a man. The client. “Got to go. He’s here,” Sebastian said quickly before hanging up.

He waved his arm and called out until the client caught sight of him. He wasn’t going to get any wetter than he had to. The man headed over – Light was the name Jim gave him. Had to be a codename, not that it mattered.

The man neared, and Sebastian sized him up. Slim, toned, but no serious physical threat. His shirt and pants were soaked through, clinging to his skin, and Sebastian scanned him quickly looking for a weapon. Nothing. Essentially defenseless.

He struck Sebastian as one of the businessmen or politician types – cocky enough that they felt invulnerable to a paid thug, or at least felt protected by the money they had paid Moriarty. Sebastian despised their type.

Light ducked underneath the overhand, brushing water from his hair and shoulder. He shivered, and he glanced out into the rain before focusing on Sebastian.

His eyes made Sebastian pause. They were like Jim’s, or at least the closest Sebastian had ever seen. Brilliant and _seeing._ As if with one glance, he understood everything about Sebastian. It was fucking unnerving.

They were also haunted, and Light’s face was grim, if striking. He was Japanese and had the looks of a model. Before Jim, Sebastian would have been all over him.

“Mind if I have a smoke?” Light asked softly, his eyes flickering over him. Sebastian nodded, pulling out another cigarette and handing it to Light. He flicked open the lighter, and Light tilted forward, bringing the cigarette to the flame. He inhaled, the ember glowing in the dim light.

Light leaned against the wall and sighed as he stared out into the darkness. “I apologize for the rain,” he said, and Sebastian paused at the phrasing. Light spoke as if he held responsibility, which made him either crazy, eccentric, or something unknown. Sebastian was placing bets on eccentric – it seemed to be Jim’s type. “How long have you been here for?” Light continued, and Sebastian wished he would do away with the formalities.

“Not too long,” he said, even though it had been an entire hour. Clearly punctuality was not one of Light’s attributes. Light nodded, eyes lost in thought.

“So,” Sebastian finally said when Light continued to stare silently into the night. “You have business with Moriarty.”

Light huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “No. I have business with you.”

“Sorry?” Sebastian asked, blinking hard in surprise.

“Sebastian Moran, isn’t it?” And then Light said something in a language that Sebastian couldn’t even begin to guess at.

Sebastian felt the very strong urge to get away, and his hand inched towards his gun. Light’s gaze drifted towards his hand, and he smiled bitterly.

“Be my guest. It won’t do any good.”

Crazy then.

“Light, right? I’m not here to play games. You want something from Moriarty, and he’s happy to arrange it, but that does not include messing with me.” Sebastian growled, stepping closer to tower over Light. Light was about half a foot shorter but he stared up unfazed.

“I’m not messing with you, Sebastian. I need your help.”

“Yes?” Sebastian said curtly, allowing anger to color his voice. All his usual intimidation techniques were failing on Light, who like Jim, seemed to have no fear.

Light stepped closer so they were mere inches apart. He brought a hand up to brush at a strand of Sebastian’s hair, and Sebastian pushed Light against the wall. Light’s head smacked against the brick, and he looked dazed for a moment before regaining his composure.

Light’s eyes then did the thing Jim’s eyes did when he was suddenly really paying attention to Sebastian as if they were finally seeing _him._

“You love him, don’t you?” Light asked quietly, and Sebastian stepped back in surprise. “James Moriarty,” Light clarified, even though he really didn’t need to.

This was getting fucking ridiculous, and Sebastian stubbed his cigarette out. “This is over,” he began, but Light continued.

“I loved someone like him once. I know how it is. A mind like the night sky, vast and unknowable and you can only stare in awe at the distant pinpricks of light. That is why I need you. Your help for what must happen.”

“You’re fucking crazy,” Sebastian muttered, trying not to show how the words had affected him. Who was this man, and how the hell could he have known?

Light laughed again, a small, broken sound. “If only.” He turned and stared up at Sebastian. “Will you help me?” he asked, and Sebastian looked at him, trying to notice any tells, and paused.

Jim hadn’t shared much with him about this client or what he wanted. Just a name, really, and a location. It was somewhat peculiar, but not unusual. But that means that Jim could have promised his assistance to Light. Just because Light was strange didn’t mean that agreement was void.

He had two options: leave and hope Jim wouldn’t flay him alive for failing, or treat Light’s request seriously and hope it was Jim’s intent.

Like that, the decision was easy.

“What kind of help are you looking for?” Sebastian asked, eyes narrowing. Light’s shoulders dropped almost imperceptibly, and his gaze flicked over to the rain. 

“My daughter,” he choked out, and his eyes fluttered shut. “I need you to protect my daughter.” A spasm of pain crossed his face.

“Fine,” Sebastian agreed, and Light’s eyes flew open in surprise. Sebastian shrugged. “It’s not my first time fixing Daddy’s mistakes.”

“Not like this,” Light said thickly.

“What? She’s been threatened? Kidnapped? Someone going to hurt her if you don’t do as they say?” Sebastian said in mild annoyance. Everyone thought their problems were special, but after a few years at Jim’s side, it was decidedly not true.

Light shook his head. “I gave her something. Something valuable. And there are people,” he said the word strangely as if it didn’t truly apply, “looking for her.”

“Okay,” Sebastian said, trying to suppress his annoyance. “We’ll set up a safe house. We have contacts with bodyguards and we’ll post them with her. She’ll be kept safe until the situation is resolved.”

Light shook his head, wet hair snapping on his forehead. “No. It has to be you. You _have_ to be with her.”

Sebastian held up his hands, trying to calm the man. “It can’t be done. I’m a busy man, and I can’t babysit. But we’ll keep your daughter safe. You have my word.”

Light leaned heavily against the wall, and Sebastian hoped he wouldn’t break down crying. He did _not_ want to deal with that.

“It has to be the Tiger,” Light muttered, and Sebastian let out a muffled sound of surprise. Jim called him Tiger, but only in private. “It’s the only way.”

“Like I said, it can’t be done. If you wish to contact Moriarty about it, please do so. But until then you’ll have to work with our methods.”

Light’s brow furrowed, and he muttered something in that language. Sebastian had a good ear for languages, but he couldn’t place it. It sounded unlike anything he had heard before, and it set his teeth on edge.

“It will destroy the world if it finds her,” he said, his voice steadying. “This world and all the others. It knows no end to its bloodlust.”

Sebastian decided not to address the arguably psychotic statements. “Yes, and Moriarty will keep your daughter safe.”

Light shook his head and straightened his posture. “The Spider will only burn. But not you.”

Sebastian had only a moment to decide if the statement was a threat or not before Light’s head snapped sideways to stare into the rain.

“My daughter is in the car. Five minutes away past that streetlamp, two if you run,” he said hurriedly. “Her name is Mieko. She knows what must happen.” His gaze intensified, and he grabbed Sebastian’s face between his hands. “Swear to me you will protect her.”

“I, fuck, yes, I swear,” Sebastian said, overwhelmed. The man’s eyes bore into his.

“No matter what,” Light finished, pulling away. “They are coming,” he whispered, and he stepped out into the rain. Sebastian peered into the darkness but could see nothing.

Light extended his arm, fingers splayed, and lightning cracked across the sky. The boom of thunders shook the surroundings, and Sebastian distantly thought that meant the storm was right on top of them. A movement in the darkness distracted him, and a hulking shadow drifted through the rain. It was too large to be a man- and fuck, were those wings?

Sebastian rubbed hard at his eyes, but the shadow was still there and growing larger. And yes, those were wings – scaly and torn and hanging off something that Sebastian’s mind filled in as demon. It looked as it had clawed itself out of the depths of hell and the glowing red eyes gleaming out of the darkness certainly didn’t help.

Light took another step forward and flexed his fingers. Lightning cracked, and with the sudden burst of light, a gleaning sword materialized from the rain. The sword was long, longer than practically feasible given its weight, and it gleaned red. The rain hissed whenever it struck the metal, and it steamed gently. Light wielded it with ease, swinging it through the air and seeming to cut it. Sebastian stared enraptured and in incomprehension.

Light glanced back at him. “You should run,” he offered, before turning back to face the emerging demon, and Sebastian decided to listen to him, sprinting into the rain and away from that-it had to be a demon didn’t it? Fuck if he knew, but it didn’t make any sense, and he only knew there was a car and possibly a little girl, and it was going to be the fastest way to get away.

His feet pounded against the wet gravel, and he almost slipped as he rounded the turn. Rain pounded against him, and he blinked hard, trying to keep it out of his eyes. The rain froze him, and even sprinting, he found he couldn’t warm up.

He jolted at another boom of thunder, and he heard a terrible cracking noise behind him that drove him to run faster. He was tempted to look back, but that would be foolish. The imperative was to reach the car and get away as fast as possible, and that meant no mistakes.

He caught sight of the car and in a final burst of energy, reached it. He flung open the car door and threw himself in. Light had left the keys in the ignition, and Sebastian fumbled with freezing fingers to turn it. The car revved to life, casting light into the darkness, and Sebastian scanned the horizon quickly.

The demon was still there, but the rain had obscured its features again. Still, it was easily fifteen feet tall, a giant, hulking beast. A flash of lightning lit up the sky again, and Sebastian briefly caught sight of Light holding his sword and staring up at the demon. His eyes skittered over the demon, and he saw scales and bones peeking through, but his consciousness quickly decided that this was _not_ something he wanted to see, and he refocused on the car.

He put the car into reverse, swung an arm around the seat to steady himself, and caught sight of a small girl bundled in a blanket and sleeping in the back seat. How anyone could sleep through the storm defied him, but she seemed to be resting easily.

The girl was small, and Sebastian was shit with children, but he would place her somewhere from six to eight. She had curled into the car seat, so he couldn’t see her face, but she had black hair cut to her shoulders and was holding tightly onto something. Sebastian craned his head to see, perhaps this was the valuable thing that brought the monsters of hell upon her, but it was only a stuffed animal – a tiger, at that.

Sebastian pushed off the growing sense of hysteria and pressed down on the gas. The darkness obscured his line of sight, but he managed to reverse into the road without hitting anything. He pulled the car into drive and sped down the road. His heart pounded with the thrill of escape, and he let out a sigh of relief when he merged into a highway.

In fifteen minutes, he would be back with Jim, and he could let him try to figure out whatever the fuck had just happened.

Of course, he didn’t know if that _thing_ could teleport or if it had other demon friends that were on the prowl for the girl. It’s not like he was well versed in demon abilities, and well, maybe it would be a good idea just to call Jim.

He fumbled for his phone and hit redial. He held it to his ear and counted the rings. On the third, Jim picked up.

“Sebastian,” he drawled, sounding relaxed. “Did he show?”

“Jim,” Sebastian choked out, the feeling of relief at hearing his voice overwhelming him. If there was anything who could make sense of tonight, it’s him.

“Sebastian, what it is?” Jim said, his voice immediately sharpening.

Words failed him momentarily; how the hell was he supposed to describe what had happened?

“Sebastian,” Jim cut through, “What did you _see_?” The question comforted him and cleared his thoughts. It was what Jim had taught him. How to _see_ , not just to look. And he had learned how to report it back, which is what he had to do now.

“I met him. Light. Japanese. Attractive, but tired. Worried about his daughter. He gave her something, something valuable, and she’s a target now. Wanted me to protect her,” he reported crisply, trying not to think too much into it.

“What did he give her?” Jim asked, his voice quieting slightly.

“Don’t know. I’m with her, but don’t see anything valuable.”

“Describe her,” Jim ordered, and Sebastian wanted to scream at him. She was not what mattered – it was the fucking _demon_. But he listened and obeyed.

“Small. Six? Eight? Can’t tell. Black hair, short. She’s asleep now and turned away so I can’t see her face. She’s holding a stuffed tiger, but doesn’t look like anything else. Name is Meiko.”

“A tiger?” he asked.

“That’s what Light called me. He knew about you and me. The Spider and the Tiger.”

“He shouldn’t,” Jim said slowly, and Sebastian wondered how much Jim knew. “Continue,” Jim ordered.

“Then-fuck, Jim. Something came out of the rain. This giant shadow - fifteen feet tall, wings, glowing red eyes. It wasn’t fucking _human._ ” His words caught, and he felt sick.

“Sebastian,” Jim chided, and Sebastian smacked the wheel with his free hand.

“I know what I saw. Light went out to fight it, summoning a sword from thin air, and at that point, I ran. It wasn’t human, Jim. It was straight out of hell – a fucking demon.”

“It’s not a demon,” a small voice piped up, and Sebastian almost crashed the car.

“Excuse me?” Sebastian said as if the night couldn’t have become more surreal. Jim started to say something, but he ignored it for the little girl.

“It’s not a demon. It’s a Shinigami,” she responded, yawning.

“Shinigami?” Sebastian repeated dumbly. He stared at the girl from the front mirror. She had sat up, her eyes sleepy. She had delicate features, gray eyes, and bangs. She looked vaguely Japanese but had a mix of other ethnicities that made her hard to categorize. She didn’t look much like Light, but rather someone else. She must have taken after her mother.

Mieko nodded and glanced around the car. “Do you know where Daddy is?” she asked innocently.

“He’s…um, busy. Something’s tied him up.”

“Okay,” she said unbothered and leaned her head against the window. She clutched the stuffed tiger to her chest and didn’t comment on how she was in a car with a strange man. Sebastian didn’t know kids, but he figured there should be some sort of reaction.

“Sorry, the girl woke up,” Sebastian said, refocusing on Jim.

“A Shinigami is the Japanese god of death, darling,” Jim said, his voice jumping tones.

“Don’t think that’s much better,” Sebastian grumbled, taking his exit. Seven minutes, and he’ll be home.

“And you saw one?” Jim continued, sounding fascinated and not necessarily disbelieving.

“Yeah, I did. What the hell did you know about this client anyway?” Sebastian asked, narrowly missing a parked car. God, he hated the rain.

“Told me he was hoping to take down a corrupt yet beloved detective, but looks like that’s not true,” he sang the last word, and Sebastian could hear the vicious smile in his voice. Of course, Jim would figure a literal god of death would supplant a bald-faced lie from a client.

Sebastian huffed out a un-amused laugh. “Fuck no, it’s not.” He noticed movement from the back, and the girl was sitting up again.

“You shouldn’t go home,” she said, her eyes wide and unblinking.

“Huh?” Sebastian said, twisting around to look at her quickly. Said in a child’s voice, the statement was not nearly as menacing as it should have been,

“You shouldn’t go home,” she said again, twisting the tiger in her hands. “They’ll find him then.”

The words took a minute to sink in, and Sebastian felt much colder than could be reasoned by the rain.

“Are they tracking us?” he demanded, and the girl ducked her head down. “Meiko.”

“They’ll find us,” she said, speaking to the stuffed tiger. “But you’re a tiger so you can hide. But not him. He’s just a spider.”

“A very frightening spider,” Sebastian defended, and the girl shook her head.

“They have a Bird. It’ll eat him up. But they don’t have anything to hurt the Tiger.”

“ _Sebastian,_ ” Jim’s voice broke through, and Sebastian nearly dropped the phone.

“Sorry, shit. The girl says if I come home, they’ll hurt you.”

“And?” Jim hissed.

“I-I’m not sure the actual threat. Says they have a Bird that can eat the Spider, which I take as you. But she’s also six.”

“I’m seven,” the girl disagreed, scooting up to the window and pressing her face against the glass.

“And we’re dealing with Shinigami, right?” Jim continued, “These mythical demon-like creatures that you just so recently discovered, isn’t that right, sweetheart? So it’s not like you know any better, do you, darling?”

Sebastian winced. “No, but Jim-“

“Go to a safe house, Sebastian. We’ll figure out the next step then, hmm?”

“Yes,” Sebastian agreed, taking a turn and mapping out how to get the nearest safe house. “Sorry, I’m a little shaken,” he apologized, and Jim hummed.

“It’ll be okay, tiger. Just don’t lose your head.”

“They’re coming,” the girl said, and Sebastian nearly lost his head.

“Sorry?” he asked again, scanning out the window. He only saw the crouch of buildings and the blasted rain.

“They’re coming,” the girl repeated. “Do you know how to fight?”

“No-Jesus. Not against Shinigami.” That, unfortunately, hadn’t been covered in his army training.

“Oh,” the girl said, turning away from the window and climbing into the front seat. “That’s probably not good.”

Sebastian snorted involuntarily, before sobering up. He had his two guns, a few knives, and his fists, but not much more, and he really doubted their effectiveness against gods of death. Which meant he was defenseless against a supernatural force with wings and fangs and the whole show. He greatly doubted his odds, and his stomach sunk with it. He accelerated the car and took another turn.

“Any way we can get away, Maiko?” Sebastian asked. “Seeing as I can’t fight?”

Maiko thought for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, but you might not like it.”

“Try me,” he said, taking another sharp turn. He was driving blind, and the fear drove his adrenaline.

“Okay,” Maiko said, nodding again. She closed her eyes. “You should say goodbye.”

Sebastian blinked hard and gripped the phone tightly. “Jim,” he said again. “I’ve got to go. Call you as soon as I can, okay?”

“Sebastian,” Jim said, his voice serious. “Don’t you dare die on me. I don’t want to have to go around hiring someone else.”

Sebastian huffed out a laugh. “Don’t worry, boss. You won’t lose me so easily.” The line clicked dead, and he threw the phone down. As he did, something dropped on to the top of the car, landing heavily. The metal started to screech, and Sebastian looked over at Maiko, swallowing his fear.

“Okay, time to do what you’re going to do.”

Maiko nodded again and reached out to grab Sebastian’s wrist. He counted his breaths, and on the third, his whole world turned red.


End file.
